Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Blogging is gaining momentum as more people have embraced it and has changed the way they view the web including access to information.

During the recent first blogging summit held at UP Diliman in Quezon City, Lawyer JJ Disini, managing partner of Disini & Disini Law Office said bloggers are writing and creating new content, thus, enriching Philippine culture and recorded history.

"We at the UP Law ISP wanted to have a dialogue with other bloggers about this emerging phenomenon. More and more people are starting to blog. It’s a new technology which has been embraced by many," said Disini.

There were many reasons why the summit on blogging was held, said Disini.

"First, bloggers need to have real world contact with other bloggers. While the interests may be divergent the act of maintaining a blog and writing away at it on a regular basis is enough common ground to get a conversation going."

"Second, more people need to blog. Blogging has the potential to close the gap between generations and provide information about things once kept out of view. There’s an element of transparency in life that blogging provides."

From a democratic standpoint, blogging can reduce corruption by providing more information about events that would otherwise escape public attention or the regular media.

"Third, mass media need to pay attention to blogging because more stories are originating from bloggers who act as citizen journalists. People will no longer rely on traditional media as their sole source of information — mass media will lose mindshare to bloggers.

"Fourth, there are many legal issues facing bloggers. For instance, should they be treated as journalists with the privilege of not disclosing their sources?"

"But there are more out there. It’s not possible for us to cover all of them. Technology is changed as it is used. It is changed by those who use it. SMS was not intended to unseat a head of state and still that’s what happened."

Disini said blogging is a far more versatile communication medium than SMS. Imagine what more it can do in politics, business, art and social life.

Minimum-wage earners in Metro Manila will receive a P25 increase in their daily basic salaries once the latest order of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in the National Capital Region takes effect next month.

Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia A. Sto. Tomas said on Monday that Wage Order NCR-11 will take effect on June 15.

The raise for minimum-wage workers in Metro Manila follows similar orders issued by wage boards in Central Luzon and the Cordillera regions. Both regional wage boards granted a P25 cost-of-living allowance for workers.

The P25 increase in the daily basic wage will bring the total salary of minimum wage-earners in the nonagriculture sector in Metro Manila from P300 a day to P325 a day if the daily P50 emergency cost-of-living allowance granted recently is included.

The Department of Labor and Employment defended Monday additional wage increases for minimum income earners in several regions of the country, which placed Filipino workers among the highest paid in Asia

She said the minimum wage in Vietnam is only 78 cents while China is at US$1.56. The Philippines has a P300 (US$5.50) daily minimum wage rate in Metro Manila and P220 (US$4) in Central Visayas.

Saturday, May 28, 2005

Tagbilaran City, Bohol: Elementary-school pupils from Metro Manila copped second place even as Chinese pupils dominated two international math contests here.

The elementary-school team from Hong Kong took first place in the overall category in the 2005 Philippine Elementary Mathematics Contest, and three teams from China made their presence felt in the individual category of the Asian Inter-Cities Teenagers Mathematics Olympiad.

The team from Metro Manila landed second in the elementary-school level Pemic and a team from Sofia, Bulgaria, took third place.

In the high-school level Aitmo, Chinese teams from Changchun, Quanzhou and Ningbo City showed their intelligence by landing in first, second and third places.

The Changchun team is composed of Du Yao, Zhao Yibo, Cheng Chen and Yang Yuhang.

In the team contest, the group from Kowloon District Team in Hong Kong, Cebu City and Kaohsiung-Pingtung in Taiwan got first places.

The Pemic and Aitmo, held from May 23 to 28 here, was organized by the Mathematics Trainers’ Guild of the Philippines in cooperation with the Depart­ment of Science and Technology’s Science Education Institute and the Department of Education.

Simon Chua, president of the guild, said these international math competitions give Filipino children the opportunity to become creative and analytic.

Science and Technology Undersecretary Fortunato de la Peña, the guest speaker, said the contests have “also been successful in creating the much-needed venue for mathematics educators to exchange ideas and discuss trends and issues of relevance to professionals in their particular field.”

Friday, May 27, 2005

THE SUBIC BAY Freeport Zone sprawls over 67,452 hectares in Zambales and Bataan in an area larger than Singapore "but with less income," as a tour guide quipped. It is as much an ecotourist destination as an investors' zone that employs thousands of workers.

The forest, most of it in Bataan, covers 18,000 hectares and is home to snakes, monitor lizards (bayawak), wildcats (musang), wild boars (baboy damo), monkeys and bats.

On a given day, as long as it is not too hot, you can see the monkeys emerge from the forest and cross the highway, tails intertwined. You are not supposed to feed them as this will change their diet (which are fruits from the many trees), and shorten their life span. Feeding the monkeys will also make them lazy and dependent on humans for their lunch.

As for the bats, there's a Bat Kingdom lorded over by a spoiled king bat with a slew of concubines. This winged stud is said to have a veritable harem. His subjects "are fruit bats, not blood suckers," said Derrick Manuel of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

The Freeport produces 33,000 cubic meters of potable water a day. Its stored fuel can support the Philippines for two weeks without interruption. Subic is also a secure place due to the Global Positioning System (GPS). In case of an emergency -- you're lost in the forest, for instance, or there is a fire-just dial 911 and, it is claimed, responding officers will be with you in five minutes.

Going there

Subic lies 120 km northwest of Manila, adjoining Olongapo City, two hours or so by bus from the metropolis. There are many buses along EDSA which go to Olongapo. Traffic has improved on the reconstructed North Expressway but motorists, bus lines and commuters now feel the increased rates.

Freeport-bound motorists no longer pass through Olongapo but take the short cut via Tipo Expressway which leads right to the Zone. A quicker option is the ferry boat from the CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines) to Orion, Bataan, a one-hour trip.

There are lots of things to do in Subic, and there are many amenities. You can go shopping in the duty-free stores, or try swimming, sailing, parasailing, diving, trekking, dining out, target-shooting, fishing, bowling, testing your mettle in the jungle survival camp, hiking towards the hidden falls (there are seven of them), visiting the museum, arts center and zoo, or going on a Tiger Safari.

A recent familiarization tour hosted by Legend International Resorts Ltd. served as a refresher course (and sometimes an eye-opener) for selected media members. Legend Resorts has three properties in Subic: the elegant Legenda (CQ) Hotel, which has a casino; the cozy Four Seasons Hotel; and the family-oriented Legenda Suites.

Legend Resorts' CEO-executive director is Khoo Boo Boon, a Malaysian who has a Filipina wife and a degree from the Asian Institute of Management: "I'm proud to say that I was educated here and not in England." He finds the Filipinos "warm, but if you go to Hong Kong..." Mercifully he leaves the rest of the sentence unsaid. He adds, "The Filipinos are literate (in English). But if you go to Korea and Japan you get lost."

Khoo's Legend Resorts often initiates what he calls "activities relevant to the cause," such as raising funds for Haribon Foundation, Tabang Mindanao, the Aytas, forest protection, sending children to school, the Opthalmological Foundation of the Philippines (to prevent blindness among the poor), and for charity golf tournaments.

He is gung-ho about Philippine tourism in general (he has seen much of the country) and the Subic Freezone in particular: "There's a cathedral of forest here, it's very beautiful. And there's a golf course in front of a rainforest -- where in the Philippines can you see that? The potential here for tourism is great."

One tree in the forest is so huge that 20 people cannot encircle it.

Selected areas

The tour by SBMA's Manuel and Legend Resorts PRO Argee Gomez brought the media team to or near selected areas, like the Old Spanish Gate circa 1885, the bayside Boardwalk, international airport, a kayaking area being developed, the Legend properties, Crown Peak, Miracle Beach (so called because it was constructed in one to two days for the Aspac Summit Conference), yacht club (since taken over by the Land Bank and opened to new members), the Bicentennial Park and its lagoon with swans, and a 310-hectare industrial park which employs 3,000 workers.

A short walk through a mangrove park brought us to a viewing station which looked out over Triboa Bay, mountains at the other end, the forested area by the sea and, in the distance, close to the shore, the wreck of a sunken Spanish vessel which emerges at low tide.

"This must be my first time to see an antique Spanish vessel," someone observed.

"Me too," a colleague chimed in.

The Freeport's zoo is known as Zoobic Safari, where disarming signs and double-entendres announce the species of the animals, like "Give Me a Bear Hug" and (for ostriches) "Are You Taller Than Me?"

Nicolas the bear, who was awaiting his mate from northern China, apparently felt itchy and regally scratched his back on a tree trunk for the delectation of the media team. And there was a runaway potbellied piglet, pursued by his keeper, who insisted on going to where there were children gawking at another animal.

The highlight of the tour was supposed to be the Tiger Safari, the main attraction of Zoobic. Here, guests ride in special jeepneys with bars as tigers roam around. It is the humans who are behind bars, so to speak, and not the other way round, and it is the wild animals who approach the people or perhaps even run after the moving vehicles.

Alas, we tarried too long at the zoo, for some reason. Because of time constraints, the Tiger Safari was called off. And the sponsor just treated us to a hot pot lunch at Four Seasons Hotel. This made up (somewhat) for the Subic Safari that never was

In a province called Zambales, they wear the head shaved from the middle forward. On the skull they have a huge lock of loose hair. The women throughout this island wear small jackets (sayuelos) with sleeves of the same kinds of cloth and of all colors, called varos. They wear no shifts, but certain white cotton garments which are wrapped about the waist and fall to the feet, while other dyed cloths are wrapped about the body, like kirtles, and are very graceful. The principal women have crimson ones, and some of silk, while others are woven with gold, and adorned with fringe and other ornaments. They wear many gold necklaces about the neck, calumbigas on the wrists, large earrings of wrought gold in the ears, and rings of gold and precious stones.

Their black hair is done up in a very graceful knot on the head. Since the Spaniards came to the country many Indians do not wear bahags, but wide drawers of the same cloths and materials, and hats on their heads. The chiefs wear braids of wrought gold containing many designs, while many of them wear shoes. The chief women also wear beautiful shoes, many of them having shoes of velvet adorned with gold, and white garments like petticoats.

Men and women, and especially the chief people, are very clean and neat in their persons and clothing, and of pleasing address and grace. They dress their hair carefully, and regard it as being more ornamental when it is very black. They wash it with water in which has been boiled the bark of a tree called gugo. They anoint it with aljonjoli oil, prepared with musk, and other perfumes. All are very careful of their teeth, which from a very early age they file and render even, with stones and iron. They dye them a black color, which is lasting, and which preserves their teeth until they are very old, although it is ugly to look at. They quite generally bathe the entire body in the rivers and creeks, both young and old, without reflecting that it could at any time be injurious to them; for in their baths do they find their best medicines.

When an infant is born, they immediately bathe it, and the mother likewise. The women have needlework as their employment and occupation, and they are very clever at it, and at all kinds of sewing. They weave cloth and spin cotton, and serve in the houses of their husbands and fathers. They pound the rice for eating, and prepare other food. They raise fowls and swine, and keep the houses, while the men are engaged in the labors of the field, and in their fishing, navigation, and trading. They are not very chaste, either single or married women; while their husbands, fathers, or brothers are not very jealous or anxious about it. Both men and women are so selfish and greedy that, if they are paid, they are easily won over. When the husband finds his wife in adultery, he is smoothed and pacified without any trouble--although, since they have known Spaniards, some of those who assume to be more enlightened among them have sometimes killed the adulterers. Both men and women, especially the chiefs, walk slowly and sedately when upon their visits, and when going through the streets and to the temples; and are accompanied by many slaves, both male and female, with parasols of silk which they carry to protect them from the sun and rain. The women walk ahead and their female servants and slaves follow them; behind these walk their husbands, fathers, or brothers, with their man-servants and slaves.

Their ordinary food is rice pounded in wooden mortars, and cooked --- this is called morisqueta, and is the ordinary bread of the whole country--boiled fish (which is very abundant), the flesh of swine, deer, and wild buffaloes (which they call carabaos). Meat and fish they relish better when it has begun to spoil and when it stinks [Note: This is probably the dried or tinapa for they used to hang meats sprinkled with salt]. They also eat boiled camotes (which are sweet potatoes), beans, quilites and other vegetables; all kinds of bananas, guavas, pineapples, custard apples, many varieties of oranges, and other varieties of fruits and herbs, with which the country teems. Their drink is a wine made from the tops of cocoa and nipa palm, of which there is a great abundance. They are grown and tended like vineyards, although without so much toil and labor. Drawing off the tuba, they distill it, using for alembics their own little furnaces and utensils, to a greater or less strength, and it becomes brandy. This is drunk throughout the islands. It is a wine of the clarity of water, but strong and dry. If it be used with moderation, it acts as a medicine for the stomach, and is a protection against tumors and all sorts of rheums. Mixed with Spanish wine, it makes a mild liquor, and one very palatable and healthful.

In the assemblies, marriages, and feasts of the natives of these islands, the chief thing consists in drinking this wine, day and night, without ceasing, when the turn of each comes, some singing and others drinking. As a consequence, they generally become intoxicated without this vice being regarded as a dishonor or disgrace.

The weapons of this people are, in some provinces, bow and arrows. But those generally used throughout the islands are moderate-sized spears with well-made points; and certain shields of light wood, with their armholes fastened on the inside. These cover them from top to toe, and are called carasas (kalasag). At the waist they carry a dagger four fingers in breadth, the blade pointed, and a third of a vara in length; the hilt is of gold or ivory. The pommel is open and has two cross bars or projections, without any other guard. They are called bararaos. They have two cutting edges, and are kept in wooden scabbards, or those of buffalo-horn, admirably wrought. With these they strike with the point, but more generally with the edge.

When they go in pursuit of their opponent, they show great dexterity in seizing his hair with one hand, while with the other they cut off his head with one stroke of the bararao, and carry it away. They afterward keep the heads suspended in their houses, where they may be seen; and of these they make a display, in order to be considered as valiant, and avengers of their enemies and of the injuries committed by them.

Since they have seen the Spaniards use their weapons, many of the natives handle the arquebuses and muskets quite skilfully. Before the arrival of the Spaniards they had bronze culverins and other pieces of cast iron, with which they defended their forts and settlements, although their powder is not so well refined as that of the Spaniards.

Their ships and boats are of many kinds; for on the rivers and creeks inland they use certain very large canoes, each made from one log, and others fitted with benches and made from planks, and built up on keels. They have vireys and barangays, which are certain quick and light vessels that lie low in the water, put together with little wooden nails. These are as slender at the stern as at the bow, and they can hold a number of rowers on both sides, who propel their vessels with bucçeyes or paddles, and with gaones on the outside of the vessel; and they time their rowing to the accompaniment of some who sing in their language refrains by which they understand whether to hasten or retard their rowing.

Above the rowers is a platform or gangway, built of bamboo, upon which the fighting-men stand, in order not to interfere with the rowing of the oarsmen. In accordance with the capacity of the vessels is the number of men on these gangways. From that place they manage the sail, which is square and made of linen, and hoisted on a support or yard made of two thick bamboos, which serves as a mast. When the vessel is large, it also has a foresail of the same form. Both yards, with their tackle, can be lowered upon the gangway when the weather is rough. The helmsmen are stationed in the stern to steer. It carries another bamboo framework on the gangway itself; and upon this, when the sun shines hot, or it rains, they stretch an awning made from some mats, woven from palm-leaves. These are very bulky and close, and are called cayanes. Thus all the ship and its crew are covered and protected.

There are also other bamboo frameworks for each side of the vessel, which are so long as the vessel, and securely fastened on. They skim the water, without hindering the rowing, and serve as a counterpoise, so that the ship cannot overturn nor upset, however heavy the sea, or strong the wind against the sail. It may happen that the entire hull of these vessels, which have no decks, may fill with water and remain between wind and water, even until it is destroyed and broken up, without sinking, because of these counterpoises. These vessels have been used commonly throughout the islands since olden times. They have other larger vessels called caracoas, lapis, and tapaques, which are used to carry their merchandise, and which are very suitable, as they are roomy and draw but little water. They generally drag them ashore every night, at the mouths of rivers and creeks, among which they always navigate without going into the open sea or leaving the shore. All the natives can row and manage these boats. Some are so long that they can carry one hundred rowers on a side and thirty soldiers above to fight. The boats commonly used are barangays and vireys, which carry a less crew and fighting force. Now they put many of them together with iron nails instead of the wooden pegs and the joints in the planks, while the helms and bows have beaks like Castilian boats.

The land is well shaded in all parts by trees of different kinds, and fruit-trees which beautify it throughout the year, both along the shore and inland among the plains and mountains. It is very full of large and small rivers, of good fresh water, which flow into the sea. All of them are navigable, and abound in all kinds of fish, which are very pleasant to the taste. For the above reason there is a large supply of lumber, which is cut and sawed, dragged to the rivers, and brought down, by the natives. This lumber is very useful for houses and buildings, and for the construction of small and large vessels. Many very straight thick trees, light and pliable, are found, which are used as masts for ships and galleons. Consequently, vessels of any size may be fitted with masts from these trees, made of one piece of timber, without its being necessary to splice them or make them of different pieces. For the hulls of the ships, the keels, futtock-timbers, top-timbers, and any other kinds of supports and braces, compass-timbers, transoms, knees small and large, and rudders, all sorts of good timber are easily found; as well as good planking for the sides, decks, and upper-works, from very suitable woods.

There are many native fruit-trees, such as the sanctors, mabolos, tamarinds, nancas, custard-apples, papayas, guavas, and everywhere many oranges, of all kinds --- large and small, sweet and sour; citrons, lemons, and ten or twelve varieties of very healthful and palatable bananas. There are many cocoa-palms bearing fruit of pleasant taste --- from which is made wine and common oil, which is a very healing remedy for wounds; and other wild palms of the forests --- that do not yield cocoa-nuts, but serve as wood, and from whose bark is made bonote, a tow for rigging and cables, and also for calking ships. Efforts have been made to plant olives and quinces, and other fruit-trees of España, but as yet they have had no success, except with pomegranates and grapevines, which bear fruit the second year. These bear abundance of exceedingly good grapes three times a year; and some fig-trees have succeeded. Vegetables of every kind grow well and very abundantly, but do not seed, and it is always necessary to bring the seeds from Castilla, China, or Japon.

Sunday, May 22, 2005

I remember my job-hunting days in the Philippines. I once came to an interview for a "marketing officer" position in Pasay. I passed the interview and was scheduled for a comprehensive training. You hear the phrase "marketing officer" and you are immediately filled with thoughts of more-than-normal salary and nice airconditioned office. Afterall, one isn't called "officer" for nothing. This over-imagination (a realization that came only on hindsight) brought out the santa claus in me. Beer flowed to the nth power. Buddies had their fill. I was in high spirits. I was, afterall, poised to become a "marketing officer". The day of training came. Imagine my horror when the trainor spilled the beans. We, the marketing officers (i was surprised by the numbers) were hired for the specific purpose of selling little portable water filters. As if that isn't already bad as it is. the contraption which seems to have come right from the jurrasic era sells for 3,750 pesosesoses!. Tachi ng buntis na matsing! Nalaman ko pa na sa SM, ala pang limandaan ang hinayupak na filter! Nagkautang utang ako sa pagpapainom sa mga hinayupak na lassengero kong mga kaibigan pati dun sa mga hinayupak na kaibigan nila at dun sa mga hinayupak na kaibigan ng mga kaibigan nila. Ngayon ang hubad na katotohanan - ang akala kong premyadong posisyon ay walang iba pala kundi isang tagapag benta ng water filter.

I may have digressed there a bit, pardon for the outburst. But see, the point is that these propensity to appropriate high sounding titles and positions for various jobs usually recognized thru their more common names misleads more that it clarifies. And more that that, it gives away some hints of the basic flaws in the collective filipino psyche. Impressions become a basic necessity. The reality of structural oppression and inhuman working conditions is masked in no simple ways by companies who lure prospective employees by high-sounding titles. And filipinos get used to this shit. They get cozy. They warm up to the idea until such time that they stop questioning the practice and start swallowing hook, line, and... err, let me rephase that. they start swallowing libag, hair, and semen. And when they do, they begin to appropriate it as "reality". The danger is that they begin to see the need to conform to the image of society. Mr. gives way to Dr. Ginoo bows down in favor of Attorney. The PTA president becomes Prez. Juan becomes Engineer Tamad. It wont be long that we will begin to see a proliferation of these titles because most colleges will just naturally "see the light" and follow the normal practice. Accountant Maria la del Barrio, Computer Scientist Marimar, Forest Ranger Joey de Leon, Nursing Aide Vic Sotto and so on.

Gone were the days when GRO refers to the pretty ladies in charge of hotel lobbies. It has now become the name of choice for opressed women of nightclubs and bars. Ever wonder how a change in the designation "legitimized" this otherwise abominable treatment of women? Go apply to be a costumer relations officer. Just dont forget to polish your telephone operating skills. Front desk officers are usually the receptionists. Maintenance officers are the janitors and manual laborers. Almost everybody is an officer nowadays. Ever wonder why that guy in Jolibee has remained a Management Trainee for five years already? He's not going to be a manager. "Management Trainee" is not a transitional position where managers are trained. It is a full time designation. How on heaven will he be able to become a manager when the regular manager doesnt have plans of quitting come hell or high water, for the next fifteen years or so. No sir! management trainees will remain management trainees.

This is not to demean these jobs and these workers as not deserving of "respectable" titles. The point is, its not the title that makes the person respectable or not but the structural conditions that define these titles. Janitor should be an honorable designation, if not for the fact that most janitors are so overworked and underpaid. Same goes for receptionists, and telephone operators and what-have-you's. It is not the titles that need to go but the conditions that make these titles short narratives of inequality and oppression.

THE SUBIC BAY Freeport Zone sprawls over 67,452 hectares in Zambales and Bataan in an area larger than Singapore "but with less income," as a tour guide quipped. It is as much an ecotourist destination as an investors' zone that employs thousands of workers.

The forest, most of it in Bataan, covers 18,000 hectares and is home to snakes, monitor lizards (bayawak), wildcats (musang), wild boars (baboy damo), monkeys and bats.

On a given day, as long as it is not too hot, you can see the monkeys emerge from the forest and cross the highway, tails intertwined. You are not supposed to feed them as this will change their diet (which are fruits from the many trees), and shorten their life span. Feeding the monkeys will also make them lazy and dependent on humans for their lunch.

As for the bats, there's a Bat Kingdom lorded over by a spoiled king bat with a slew of concubines. This winged stud is said to have a veritable harem. His subjects "are fruit bats, not blood suckers," said Derrick Manuel of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

The Freeport produces 33,000 cubic meters of potable water a day. Its stored fuel can support the Philippines for two weeks without interruption. Subic is also a secure place due to the Global Position System (GBS). In case of an emergency-you're lost in the forest, for instance, or there is a fire-just dial 911 and, it is claimed, responding officers will be with you in five minutes.

Going there

Subic lies 120 km northwest of Manila, adjoining Olongapo City, two hours or so by bus from the metropolis. There are many buses along EDSA which go to Olongapo. Traffic has improved on the reconstructed North Expressway but motorists, bus lines and commuters now feel the increased rates.

Freeport-bound motorists no longer pass through Olongapo but take the short cut via Tipo Expressway which leads right to the Zone. A quicker option is the ferry boat from the CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines) to Orion, Bataan, a one-hour trip.

There are lots of things to do in Subic, and there are many amenities. You can go shopping in the duty-free stores, or try swimming, sailing, parasailing, diving, trekking, dining out, target-shooting, fishing, bowling, testing your mettle in the jungle survival camp, hiking towards the hidden falls (there are seven of them), visiting the museum, arts center and zoo, or going on a Tiger Safari.

A recent familiarization tour hosted by Legend International Resorts Ltd. served as a refresher course (and sometimes an eye-opener) for selected media members. Legend Resorts has three properties in Subic: the elegant Legenda (CQ) Hotel, which has a casino; the cozy Four Seasons Hotel; and the family-oriented Legenda Suites.

Legend Resorts' CEO-executive director is Khoo Boo Boon, a Malaysian who has a Filipina wife and a degree from the Asian Institute of Management: "I'm proud to say that I was educated here and not in England." He finds the Filipinos "warm, but if you go to Hong Kong..." Mercifully he leaves the rest of the sentence unsaid. He adds, "The Filipinos are literate (in English). But if you go to Korea and Japan you get lost."

Khoo's Legend Resorts often initiates what he calls "activities relevant to the cause," such as raising funds for Haribon Foundation, Tabang Mindanao, the Aytas, forest protection, sending children to school, the Opthalmological Foundation of the Philippines (to prevent blindness among the poor), and for charity golf tournaments.

He is gung-ho about Philippine tourism in general (he has seen much of the country) and the Subic Freezone in particular: "There's a cathedral of forest here, it's very beautiful. And there's a golf course in front of a rainforest-where in the Philippines can you see that? The potential here for tourism is great."

One tree in the forest is so huge that 20 people cannot encircle it.

Selected areas

The tour by SBMA's Manuel and Legend Resorts PRO Argee Gomez brought the media team to or near selected areas, like the Old Spanish Gate circa 1885, the bayside Boardwalk, international airport, a kayaking area being developed, the Legend properties, Crown Peak, Miracle Beach (so called because it was constructed in one to two days for the Aspac Summit Conference), yacht club (since taken over by the Land Bank and opened to new members), the Bicentennial Park and its lagoon with swans, and a 310-hectare industrial park which employs 3,000 workers.

A short walk through a mangrove park brought us to a viewing station which looked out over Triboa Bay, mountains at the other end, the forested area by the sea and, in the distance, close to the shore, the wreck of a sunken Spanish vessel which emerges at low tide.

"This must be my first time to see an antique Spanish vessel," someone observed.

"Me too," a colleague chimed in.

The Freeport's zoo is known as Zoobic Safari, where disarming signs and double-entendres announce the species of the animals, like "Give Me a Bear Hug" and (for ostriches) "Are You Taller Than Me?"

Nicolas the bear, who was awaiting his mate from northern China, apparently felt itchy and regally scratched his back on a tree trunk for the delectation of the media team. And there was a runaway potbellied piglet, pursued by his keeper, who insisted on going to where there were children gawking at another animal.

The highlight of the tour was supposed to be the Tiger Safari, the main attraction of Zoobic. Here, guests ride in special jeepneys with bars as tigers roam around. It is the humans who are behind bars, so to speak, and not the other way round, and it is the wild animals who approach the people or perhaps even run after the moving vehicles.

Alas, we tarried too long at the zoo, for some reason. Because of time constraints, the Tiger Safari was called off. And the sponsor just treated us to a hot pot lunch at Four Seasons Hotel. This made up (somewhat) for the Subic Safari that never was.

Saturday, May 21, 2005

REFLECTIONSBy Fr. Shay CullenFil-Am and street children-victims many times over

Poverty is the look of perpetual hunger on the face of Angelino, 11, as he pokes the dubious contents of a tin can that serves as a cooking pot. He begs to feed his six brothers and sisters but could hardly feed himself. His parents are human wrecks.

Under a low-concrete bridge on the riverbank of Olongapo City, a dozen street children have made their home among the concrete pillars and somehow survive amid the disease-ridden garbage.

Bernardo, 15, declares the leftover chicken bones collected from the garbage of a fast-food joint are cooked and a group of filthy urchins in rags rush over to get a share. Under the grime and dirt, Bernardo's face looks strangely Caucasian. He is a Filipino-American, one of the many throwaway children abandoned when the Americans left the US Navy base in Subic Bay in 1992.

The Preda charity in Olongapo has social workers caring for them as resources and circumstances allow. They are emaciated; they suffer cuts and wounds that quickly become infected in the putrid green slime of the stagnant estuary.

If the American fathers would know of the suffering of the children they abandoned, I am sure they would have done more to help them. Responsibility rests with the local governments too-the cities of Olongapo and Angeles provided the sex bars and the young girls, some only nine years old.

Many street children and Fil-Am children have been helped over the years by the Preda charity in Olongapo. Fil-Am children get scholarships and job placements, while the street kids get non-formal education, food clothes, and legal assistance when they are jailed.

The 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war was celebrated, recently but the legacy of the United States lives on in the children left behind, especially in the Philippines where the American troops came for rest and recreation.

Bernardo is just of the estimated three to five thousand Fil-Am children throughout the Philippines. His mother was a bar girl at the California Jam club and lived in with a US sailor. She was 15 years old. When the base closed, the sailor abandoned her and her baby, Bernard. Her hopes and dreams of marrying and going to America were shattered. In desperation she left Bernardo with a family in the Olongapo slums. They couldn't sell him, so he grew up unloved and unwanted. He joined the street kids soon after he dropped out of fourth grade. He has been rescued by Preda and helped to start again.

What these children need urgently is a home where they can feel wanted, respected, affirmed and educated in dignity and given a future away from the streets. Few have seen the cruel conditions and subhuman lives of these children who have run away to escape abuse and harsh treatment only to end up in the hovels that totter on the banks of the estuary and stinking canals.

We need a new home for them and the ideal location is an abandoned building in Castilljos, Zambales, near our main center.

The street children need this home, and we asked Gov. Vic Magsaysay and the Zambales provincial government to give us the use of the abandoned buildings in Castillejos that were given to the province by the Pinatubo Foundation.

We are offering to raise the funds to renovate the property and make it a home, provide the staff and full support, and invest in livelihood training and employment for locals at the compound. The province has yet to respond to this urgent need for development and employment that we can help create.

To help the Fil-Am children, I connected with a US lawyer willing to file a class action suit for the mothers and children against the US government in the Washington-based International Court of Complaints. The court case was a sensation at the time in America. The court decided that the women were engaged in illegal activity (prostitution) and had no right to bring a lawsuit because of that. The men were not held responsible.

Unlike other Amerasian children in Vietnam and Korea, Filipino children were discriminated against by being denied US citizenship. Most American fathers never recognized or acknowledged their son or daughter. This is another heartbreak and painful injustice and there is no way to prove it except by DNA testing to which none will agree to undergo.

Every child has the right to a father and an identity. It is the most natural thing in the world, but one denied to so many children. We can help change that and challenge both Governor Magsaysay and the Provincial Board to help and ask America to look once again into plight of the Fil-Am children and recognize them as their own, too.

"If the national leadership and law enforcement authorities are found to have been remiss in waging a crackdown on jueteng and worse if they are protecting its illegal operation, then its themselves who are destabilizing their own government," ani Pimentel. (With Bernard Taguinod)

Keep a syringe or needle in your home to do this... It's amazing and an unconventional way of recovering from stroke, read it through it can helpsomebody 1 day.

This is amazing, if it works. Please keep this very handy... Excellent tips. Do take a minute to read this. You'll never know. One's life may depend on you.

My father was paralyzed and later died from the result of a stroke. I wish I knew about this first aid before.

When stroke strikes, the capillaries in the brain will gradually burst. When a stroke occurs, stay calm. No matter where the victim is, do not move him/her. Because, if moved, the capillaries will burst. Help the victim to sit up where h e is to prevent him from falling over again, and then the bloodletting can begin. If you have in your home an injection syringe that would be the best, otherwise, a sewing needle or a straightpin will do. Place the needle/pin over fire to sterilize it, and then use it to prick the tip of all 10 fingers. There are no specific acupuncture points, just prick about a mm from the fingernail.

Prick till blood comes out. If blood does not start to drip, then squeeze with your fingers. When all 10 digits is bleeding, wait a few minutes then the victim will regain consciousness.

If the victim's mouth is crooked, then pull on his ears until they are red. Then prick each ear lobe twice until two drops of blood comes from each ear lobe. After a few minutes the victim should regain consciousness.

Wait till the victim regain his normal state without any abnormal symptoms then take him to the hospital, otherwise, if he was taken in the ambulance in a hurry to the hospital, the bumpy trip will cause all the capillariesin his brain to burst. If he could save his life, barely managing to walk,then it is by the grace of his ancestors.

I learned about letting blood to save life from Chinese traditional doctor Ha Bu-Ting who lives in Sun-Juke. Furthermore, I had practical experiencewith it. Therefore I can say this method is 100% effective. In 1979, I wasteaching in Fung-Gaap College in Tai-Chung. One afternoon I was teaching class when another teacher came running to my class room and said in panting, "Mr. Liu, come quick, our supervisor has had a stroke!" Iimmediately went to the 3rd floor. When I saw our supervisor, Mr.Chen[ Fu-Tien, his color was off, his speech was slurred, his mouth was crooked-all the symptoms of a stroke. I immediately asked one of the practicum students to go to the pharmacy outside the school to buy asyringe, which I used to prick Mr. Chen's 10 fingers tips. When all 10fingers were bleeding (each with a pea-sized drop of blood), after afew minutes, Mr. Chen's face regained its color and his eyes' spirit returned,too. But his mouth was still crooked. So I pulled on his ears to fill them[ with blood. When his ears became red, I pricked his right earlobe twice to let out 2 drops of blood. When both earlobes had two drops of blood each,a miracle happened. Within 3-5 minutes the shape of his mouth returned tonormal and his speech became clear.

We let him rest for a while and have acup of hot tea, then we helped him go down the stairs, drove him toWei-Wah Hospital. He rested one night and was released the next day toreturn to school to teach. Everything worked normally. There were no illafter-effects. On the other hand, the usual stroke victim usually suffers irreparable bursting of the brain capillaries on the way to the hospital. As a result, these victims never recover.

Therefore stroke is the second cause of death. The lucky ones will stay alive but can remain paralyzed for life.

It is such a horrible thing to happen in one's life. If we can all remember this bloodletting method and start the life-saving process immediately, in a short time, the victim will be revived and regain 100%normality. We hope you can tell others about this first aid method. Bydoing so, stroke may be removed from the list of major causes of death.

Forward this after reading. It will be a good deed indeed. The greatestrisk is not taking one... Make a difference!!!

SENATE Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. yesterday said that while he had no hard evidence to implicate President Macapagal-Arroyo in "jueteng," he could only presume that she "benefited" from operations of the illegal numbers game.

Pimentel, who, along with Senate President Franklin Drilon, had sought a Senate inquiry into allegations that members of the First Family had been receiving protection money, was responding to the question of why he thought Ms Arroyo had not directly ordered provincial police commanders or governors to stop jueteng operations in their areas.

"I can only surmise that she benefited from jueteng," he said.

But in an ambush interview after the Rembrandt news forum in Quezon City, Pimentel said: "For the present, I have nothing. But for the past, it was a matter of public knowledge that the propaganda materials for Gloria in her campaign for the vice presidency, especially that poster that pictured her in a seductive pose like Nora Aunor, was reportedly paid for by Bong Pineda."

He said that since Pineda was "notoriously known by people as a jueteng lord, you [will] somehow [wonder], if those posters were paid for by [him), where did Bong Pineda get so much money that he can afford to have those posters printed for Gloria's campaign?"

At the start of the forum, the senator-lawyer said he had no proof to back allegations by a supposed jueteng operator and two bagmen that the President's husband Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo and their elder son Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo, had received protection money.

24 witnesses

"I don't have the evidence to link the President directly to jueteng money, so as I said, you people in media can say that, but I cannot. I will stick to my stand that when I say something, I can back it up," he said.

Pimentel said that apart from the 24 witnesses to be presented at the Senate inquiry, five more were willing to talk about the people on the jueteng take.

"The best that I can tell you is this: Even my witnesses, who are now hiding, can only [say] up to a point [the names of] jueteng lords and [government] officials receiving money," he said, adding:

"We can never tell if [directly linking the Arroyos is] going to happen in the investigation. The question will be answered when the witnesses appear."

Not pawns

Pimentel said the "luxurious" campaign posters that portrayed Ms Arroyo as "another Nora Aunor in politics" showed they were "paid for by Bong Pineda."

However, he stressed that he and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, who is leading anti-jueteng crusade, were "not pawns in any political game, especially as regards the desire to topple Gloria."

"I know that Gloria does not deserve to be there-she was elected fraudulently. But it does not mean that I will use extra-constitutional means to kick her out of office," he said.

Vital ingredient lacking

But Pimentel, who was Senate President during the aborted impeachment trial of President Joseph Estrada, said the present confluence of events still lacked a vital ingredient that would bring down the Arroyo administration.

"The difference is there was a [Ilocos Sur Gov.] Chavit Singson who linked Estrada directly [to jueteng]," he said.

Pimentel also said that even before Ms Arroyo became president, he had been advocating a shift to a federal system from the present presidential form of government.

"There's a sharing of power [in a federal form], triggering the fastest economic development in the country, and there would be less coup [attempts] by military adventurists," he said.

Under threat

The supposed jueteng operator and two bagmen for influential people are seeking protection from the Senate, where they intend to spill the beans on people on the take from jueteng lords.

Even before they could come out in the open to testify, the jueteng men said they were "under threat" from people they were likely to implicate in the illegal numbers game.

A jueteng lord, whom the Inquirer report dubbed as O1, reported unwanted visits by unknown men to his house somewhere in Luzon since he and two bagmen spoke with the Inquirer and GMA 7 last Wednesday.

While he said nothing would stop him from testifying at the Senate, O1, who described himself as "very well known in the jueteng industry," said he was worried for his and his family's safety because he knew he was up against powerful persons.

P9.2M monthly

O1 has said he had been giving as much as P9.2 million a month in jueteng protection money for officials of the Philippine National Police, provincial police directors and other PNP officials, governors, mayors, and even members of the media through two conduits in Camp Crame in Quezon City.

On the other hand, the bagmen, dubbed B1 and B2, said they collected payola supposedly given to the Arroyo father and son-a charge vehemently denied by Malacañang.

B1, B2 and O1 wanted to testify at the jueteng investigation to be conducted by the Senate. But they have yet to contact Senate officials or to make their appeal formally to the committees on games and on public order, which are to conduct the inquiry.

The committees, chaired by Sen. Manuel "Lito" Lapid and Sen. Manuel Villar respectively, have not even come up with a list of guests or individuals to invite.

Protection

B1 expressed hope that they would be given protection for their testimony.

"If possible, they should protect us because we are still working for our families," he told the Inquirer. "People whom we are implicating have the capacity to harm us."

O1 agreed: "I hope the Senate or Congress can provide protection for people like us who are exposing anomalies in the government."

Aside from possible physical harm, O1 said they were also certain of being discredited by their foes.

"What happens is, if somebody comes out to talk about illegal activities, his entire life will be scrutinized. What the defense does is destroy your credibility. Our appeal is for [authorities] to verify what we are saying, and if they can prove that we lied, then they can jail us," O1 said.

He added: "But we should not be treated or asked questions like we are criminals, or asked everything about our families. Who would want to expose irregularities if they will be treated this way? They will go against rich people who can have them killed."

O1 recalled the case of the Land Bank of the Philippines employee, Acsa Ramirez, who exposed a tax scam but was herself charged.

Silencing them

"It's so sad, isn't it? Now, if there is protection, many people will come out to talk about not just jueteng but [also] corruption and thieves in government," he said.

An official who declined to be named said government agents were after the jueteng witnesses to keep them silent or force them to retract their planned testimony.

This was the official's take on Ms Arroyo's order for the investigation of the jueteng expos‚ against her husband and son, and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez's order to identify the witnesses.

"The purpose of the order is to identify the witnesses to control them. They are being tracked down ostensibly to be offered protection. but the intention is to make them retract," the official said.

Pimentel said at least five of his own witnesses also feared for their lives.

"Takot na takot (So afraid)" was how he described them.

"Some of them have been moving to different houses," he said in a phone interview.

But according to Pimentel, the Senate does not have its own protection program for the potential witnesses. He said they could be admitted to the government's Witness Protection Program administered by the Department of Justice.

Caveat

In another phone interview, Pimentel said jueteng whistle-blowers should not detail their first-hand knowledge about the illegal numbers game in the media to avoid being discounted outright.

Any disclosure by the potential witnesses before the start of the official Senate inquiry would run the risk of being dismissed by gambling operators and protectors, he said.

"I'm a little worried about this development. Obviously, there might be an attempt to explore the extent of their knowledge about jueteng and to limit it. It can be a ploy either way," he said.

He stressed that any testimony would be best aired during official inquiries.

A US senator promised to help Filipino World War II veterans in their last "struggle" for well-deserved benefits before the US congress, abs-cbnNEWS.com learned Friday.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo bared he received assurances from US Senator Daniel Inouye that he will work closely with the Philippines on behalf of Filipino war veterans.

Inouye, who was also a World War II combat veteran, is a ranking Democrat on the Senate defense appropriations subcommittee.

The senator pledged to Romulo his full and continued support for the country's war veterans during their meeting in the US Capitol on May 18.

Inouye emphasized that he has not forgotten the Filipino war veterans who have waited for so long for just recognition and benefits for their brave service in World War II with the United States Armed Forces in the Far East.

"I believe that a promise is a promise," the senator told Romulo, as he vowed to continue to campaign on behalf of Filipino veterans.

For his part, Romulo expressed appreciation for the senator’s gesture, adding that the Philippines is deeply grateful for Inouye’s contributions to advance the partnership between the country and the United States.

Romulo invited the US senator to visit the country this year in connection with the 60th Anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific Theater.

After fighting side-by-side with US forces during the second world war, Filipino veterans have yet to be fully recognized for their role.

Six decades after putting their lives on the line during World War II, about 8,000 Filipino-Americans are still demanding for pensions now enjoyed by their US comrades who were in the same warfront.

Some 275,000 of their American comrades are receiving 800 dollars per month in what is known as "pensions for low-income veterans."

More than 200,000 Filipino soldiers fought in World War II as US nationals in three years of brutal warfare against Japanese troops when the country was colonized by the Americans. Many have died since.

Under current US laws, Filipino-American veterans receive health benefits and so-called "service-connected disability" compensation as well as rights to be buried at designated US military cemeteries.

Washington began fulfilling the pledge in 1990 when Congress granted the veterans citizenship rights.

In recent years, leaders of the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans had been asking the White House to support pending legislation that would provide 800 dollars in monthly pensions for those living in the United States and 100 dollars for those in the Philippines.

Senator John Kerry, losing presidential bet of Democratic Party, had also agreed to support and co-sponsor the pension bill in Congress.

The chairman of the Senate committees on trade and commerce and on economic affairs has filed a bill seeking to promote entrepreneurship by strengthening development and assistance programs to micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSME).

"There is a need to strengthen MSMEs because these are the backbone of our economy. It is a well-known fact that it is these small businesses, and not the multinational corporations, who employ more people," Sen. Mar Roxas said.

MSMEs account for 69.9 percent of the country's labor force, comprise 99.6 percent of all registered companies, and contribute 32 percent to the growth of the economy.

"We are determined to push for the growth and development of local small businesses. With more businesses, more people are employed," Roxas said.

Roxas' bill proposes amendments to Republic Act 6977 (otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Small Enterprises) establishing guidelines, institutional support and organizational support to MSMEs.

One of the amendments proposed is the increase in the mandatory allocation of credit resources from six to eight percent. This means all public and private lending institutions shall set aside eight percent (for micro and small enterprises) and two percent (for medium enterprises) of their total loan portfolio to make available for MSMEs.

Another proposed amendment is the increase in the authorized capital stock of the Small Business (SB) Corp., which is tasked to extend all forms of financial assistance to MSMEs, from P5 billion to P10 billion. This would mean more money available for lending to MSMEs.

"These amendments are intended to encourage people to become entrepreneurs rather than be ordinary workers. Entrepreneurs create new wealth and jobs," Roxas added.

Roxas initiated the SME Unified Lending Opportunities for National Growth or "SULONG", a lending program for small and medium-scale entrepreneurs when he was still Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Among the government financial institutions (GFIs) involved in the SULONG project, the Land Bank of the Philippines topped in the amount of loans released with P2.2 billion to some 2,550 SMEs.

The Development Bank of the Philippines came second with a total of P1.089 billion worth of releases to some 192 SME borrowers.

Next was the Small Business Corp. (SB Corp.), with P192.75 million released to 152 SME borrowers; Quedan Guarantee and Credit Corp. (Quedancor), with P90.41 million to 6,406 SME borrowers; and the National Livelihood Support Fund (NLSF), with P34.25 million to 754 borrowers.

LIKE most overseas Filipino workers, Maria Dinah Abalos used money transfer organizations when sending money to her family in the southern city of Butuan from China, where she worked as a teacher last year.

She told INQ7money she had a vague idea that the fees were steeper than those of banks or credit unions, but what the heck, she said, "It's just a small amount every time I sent money."

This lack of willingness to shop around for the best rates or refusal to understand the process of remittances and find alternative ways of sending money home at a lower cost eats into the incomes overseas Filipino workers remit to their families.

These "small amounts" can stack up to a considerable cost. Asians and Latinos typically send small amounts -- an average of 200 dollars -- but they send money to their families frequently, which means hidden fees often hit them frequently.

Remittance service companies usually charge an upfront fee for telegraphic transfers. That's all in black in white. However, there is a foreign exchange cost that is not often explained.

Let's say you work in Europe and earn British pounds. A Filipino remittance company around the corner converts your remittance to dollars. Flag this down as forex cost number one.

Will the recipient in the northern province of Isabela, for example, accept your remittance in dollars or in pesos? If in pesos, watch the exchange rate, as this could eat into what you send home, which results in the so-called double whammy to remitters.

It's curious that there is very little data on the cost of remitting money to the Philippines, when the World Bank ranks the Philippines as the third biggest receiver of money remittances in the world, after India and Mexico.

Businesses are also increasingly becoming global, and hard cash is naturally not carried around in suitcases. A lot of workers and businessmen need the information on what charges to watch out for and whether they are getting the raw end of money transfer deals.

Manuel Orozco, an international expert on remittance flows, said in a March 2003 study titled, "Worker Remittances in an International Scope," that transfer costs are lowest when sent through regulated financial institutions such as banks and credit unions.

After interviewing experts and businessmen and gathering data on remittances in nine countries in Southern Europe, Asia and Africa, Orozco said that when migrant workers transacted through banks, they got lower rates and fewer benefits from the institutions' other services, such as loans or deposits.

"The mean value of sending through banks was 7.0 percent [for 200 dollars], compared to 12.0 percent for businesses like Thomas Cook or Western Union," a copy of the study showed.

Charges are lower when the remittance is 300 dollars or more.

Data in the study showed that when sending to the Philippines, banks charge an average of 8.0 percent for every 200 dollars, while so-called ethnic stores or Philippine money transfer organizations charge 10.1 percent. Large remittance companies, like Western Union, charge 10.3 percent.

Philippine banks' charges, at 8.0 percent, while lower when compared with other methods, still appear to be steep. They are higher than India's 6.0 percent, Greece's 6.8 percent, Portugal's 3.4 percent, and Turkey's 3.1 percent -- although the banking systems in these countries are considerably less developed in the Philippines.

The Philippines has one of the most competitive markets for remittances, with wide participation of Philippine banks, Orozco said. In addition, the entry of international banks like Citibank NA should have brought the fees and charges down.

Unfortunately, problems with laws against money laundering have added to the cost of money transfers, penalizing both overseas workers and businessmen.

Banks offer at least four types of money transfer services: wire transfer via a network called SWIFT; crediting the money to a recipient's bank account in the same institution; crediting the money to an account in another bank; and picking up cash.

Here's a quick tip: When you deposit money in an account in the same bank, the charge drops to 5.0 percent. In some cases, it goes down even to 2.0 percent. It is also lower if the customer picks up the money from the bank.

An Inquirer reader told INQ7money in an e-mail that some Western Union branches in Switzerland refused to wire money to the Philippines "because RP is not well cooperating about money laundering, together with only four other countries worldwide."

It would be interesting to read a documentation of the experiences of people who often transfer money to the Philippines and how the government's failure to meet the requirements of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering affects them.

For now, the lack of information should not stop overseas workers and businessmen from seeking the best rates. Just like shopping for a home, it still pays to canvass to find the bank or money transfer organization that can beat a 7.0-percent charge for remitting 200 dollars.

Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon of Muntinlupa said department of Labor's Occupational and Health Safety Standards statistics showed that 3,383 cases of occupational injuries were reported in the construction industry in 2004, or an average of nine incidents a day. In filing House Bill 4184, the proadministration lawmaker underscored that employers must provide workers with protective equipment for the eyes, face, hands and feet like a lifeline, safety belt or harness, protective shields and barriers. Biazon's proposal carries a penalty of P100,000 for the first offense or imprisonment of not less than six months and one day to not more than one year, or both. On the second offense, the bill prescribes a P300,000 fine or imprisonment of one year and one day to two years, or both. According to Biazon, a third-time offender will be slapped with a fine of P500,000, or imprisonment of two years and one day to not more than three years, or both.

============================

Employers who shamelessly delay the remittances of their employees' Social Security System (SSS) contributions will have to pay steeper fines if they don't comply with the law. Sen. Mar Roxas, chair of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs and on Trade and Commerce, has filed Senate Bill 1994 which will increase by 10 times the penalties for companies that delay SSS remittances and for persons found violating the SSS law.

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Retired Maj. Gen. Fortunato Abat was back in fighting form yesterday as he again criticized President Arroyo, branding her and her administration as being worse than that of ousted President Joseph Estrada and his government. And in admitting this, the retired general also expressed regret for supporting Mrs. Arroyo against the now detained leader, at Edsa II, the coup d'etat that installed Mrs. Arroyo to Malacañang. In comparing the two administrations, Abat pointed out that under Mrs. Arroyo, the levels of corruption are worse.

Friday, May 20, 2005

After acting as counsel for Interior Local Government Sec. Angelo Reyes, Sen. Richard Gordon is now facing administrative charges after Jonathan Tiongco filed obstruction of justice and grave misconduct before the Office of the Ombudsman.

Tiongco was asked to comment by Camiguin Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo, vice chairman of the Powerful Commission on Appointments Committee on Interior and Local Governments and Regional Autonomous Governments reviewing the appointment of Reyes after he was accused having no less than 10 criminal cases pending in different courts.

Tiongco lashed back at Gordon armed with documents to support his claim that most of the criminal cases which he had been accused were all dismissed by respective courts and claimed harassment to taint his credibility as oppositor.

“What I am trying to drive at Mr. Chairman is that Sen. Gordon is trying to demolish my credibility as a person just because I am opposing the confirmation of Sec. Reyes,” Tiongco told the Committee

He said that after being embarrassed by Gordon in Tuesday’s hearing, he already decided to consult his lawyer to retaliate and get even with Gordon and clean his name.

He admitted that he had still pending cases in some courts but he is confident that it will be dismissed in the future just like his other cases whom he claimed most of them were harassment.

Tiongco claimed that his family and friends were also affected by Gordon’s interrogation whom he described as trying to demolish his credibility in favor of Reyes confirmation.

“What we are only after is to air our grievances and let the public know what are trying to block Reyes confirmation. The committee members can balance the complaint and if they think that we have sufficient ground to block Reyes appointment, so be it,” Tiongco said.

For his part, Gordon said Tiongco only wants to grandstands.

“Kulang lang sa pansin yan,” he said.

He said there is no malice on what he said and it is not libelous and “I am just asking him if he was the one being mentioned as Jonathan Tiongco who had string of cases from murder down to estafa. He libeled himself after admitting that he is the person being accused.”“All documents gathered by our investigators are of public documents and anybody can access to that document that is why I learned that he has pending cases, some of them were already dismissed,” he told Senate reporters.

The senator claimed that if there is a libel for what he said, “remember that under our Constitution, we cannot be held to be question on any statement that we made here in the Senate and in any other places.”

He argued that all documents from the courts were gathered by CA on the credibility of the oppositors and we closely scrutinized the papers presented to the committee including those documents submitted by the appointee.

“I am not bothered by the accusation and I am willing to face him,” Gordon emphasized after being asked to comment on the latest move of Tiongco.

Gordon denied acting as counsel for Reyes and claimed that as a member of the CA, they have the right to question not only the oppositors but also the one who is seeking his confirmation.

President Arroyo on Wednesday ordered all government agencies to cut red tape in order to reduce the cost of doing business and encourage entrepreneurship.

Speaking at a conference of the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines at the Manila Hotel, the President said she signed Executive Order 428 that calls on all government agencies as well as state-owned corporations "to simplify rules and reduce reportorial requirements to facilitate doing business and encourage more investments in the country."

"Only then can we expect the entrepreneur and the entrepreneurial spirit to truly take hold and grow our economy and empower individuals to move up the social and economic ladder and improve their lives," the President said.

She said the present system discourages investment and business expansion.

Besides raising revenues through additional tax measures, Mrs. Arroyo has committed herself to introducing reforms to improve tax collection and invite more business and investments.

Hong Kong’s retired chief graft-buster, Tony Kwok, said on Tuesday that he has signed on to a 20-month European Union-funded project to reduce corruption in 16 Philippine government offices by cleaning up the procurement and public works contracts award systems.

The project also includes setting up a help desk for foreign investors and stopping corruption at Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s air cargo handling system.

Mrs. Arroyo also cited the need to encourage more entrepreneurs in the Philippines, saying "the new generation of entrepreneurs have the most potential but often suffer the most disillusionment about their future.

"In a free economy like ours, poverty is best alleviated by developing an environment conducive to the growth of business and entrepreneurship," the President said.

On Tuesday the President announced that the Bureau of Internal Revenue hit a record collection of P62.9 billion in April.

Leaders in the House of Representatives prodded the BIR into sustaining its collection efforts.

The Deputy Speaker for Mindanao, Gerry Salapuddin, and Rep. Exequiel Javier of Antique, vice chair of the Committee on Ways and Means, said that although the BIR is doing much better in recent months, it still falls behind its collection targets.

Javier said that if the BIR can perform better now, it should continue its intensified campaign against tax evasion.

"If the BIR can sustain its efforts and implement new taxes effectively, then our fiscal woes will be over sooner than expected. The BIR must remember that we aim to collect P80 billion from new taxes to ease our deficit problem and implement more development programs," Javier said.AFP, Ma. Theresa Torres and Maricel Cruz

President Arroyo on Wednesday signed an executive order directing all government offices to simplify rules and regulations for potential investors interested in doing business with the government.

"I have signed just this morning (Wednesday) an executive order directing all departments, bureaus and offices including the government-owned and-controlled corporations under the executive department to simplify rules and regulations on reportorial requirements for doing business with [the] government," Mrs. Arroyo said in a speech at a business leaders' conference at the Manila Hotel.

The President cited two phases in implementing reforms in the government and strengthening the entrepreneurial spirit among the younger generation.

She said the first phase, which is the passage of measures that would generate P80 billion revenue annually, has already been implemented.

She said the second phase includes improving collections, privatization of assets in the energy sector, accelerating the crackdown on tax cheats and corrupt government officials and creating an investment-friendly environment.

Mrs. Arroyo said the selling of National Transmission Corp. and other energy sector assets must be completed this year.

She also lauded the Bureau of Internal Revenue for reaching record tax collections for April this year.

"We are more than one year ahead in our plan for fiscal consolidation," she said.

She added that infrastructure would also play an important part in the second phase of the reform measures.

In the same speech, the President called on the Economic Confederation of the Philippines to develop new entrepreneurs that would bring the country to greater heights and true path of economic growth.

"Only then can we expect the entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurial spirit to truly take hold and go up the socioeconomic ladder and improve their lives," she said.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Wednesday said it will allow only an 8.4 percent tuition increase for private colleges and universities this school year. This was contained in CHED Memorandum Order 14.

CHED acting chairman Carlito Puno told DZMM that the policy was made after President Arroyo ordered state colleges and universities to suspend tuition increases as part of the efforts to provide economic relief to the public.

"What we are thinking of is putting the ceiling at par with the national inflation rate, which at present, is 8.4 percent. Any increase over 8.4 percent must be submitted to us for approval," Puno told DZMM in an interview.

He said schools that fail to justify tuition increase above the rate will be ordered to cut on fees later.

He said he has ordered 16 regional CHED offices to monitor tuition increase this school year.

He added that students or their parents can report any questionable tuition increase to regional CHED offices.

He said CHED will approve petitions for tuition increase above the 8.4 percent ceiling on a case-to-case basis.

"For example, the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila didn't increase tuition for the past three years. Now they are filing for a 20 percent increase, which we are more likely to grant because of the previous circumstance," he said.

He added: "Some students might also request for an increase in athletic fees, especially if they want to become champions in college basketball tournaments."

Records showed that of the 1,342 private schools all over the country, 205 or 17 percent filed for tuition increase this year.

CHED data showed that 66 of the 244 colleges and universities in Metro Manila asked for an increase. The Asian Theological Seminary, a graduate school, asked for the highest increase, from P600 for every unit to P1,500 for every unit, or a 150-percent increase.

The Mapúa Institute of Technology asked for a 6.75-percent increase, from P1,244.18 to P1,302.91 for every unit.

De La Salle University asked for a 3.19-percent increase from P1,645.97 to P1,696.97 for every unit. Saint Scholastica’s College intends to raise its tuition from P1,260 to P1,335.60 for every unit, or an increase of 6 percent.

CHED said the average tuition increase ranged from 13.14 percent in 2000 to 11.37 percent in 2004.

CHED also announced new guidelines on tuition increase.

Puno said university officials do not need to consult parents and student bodies if the tuition hike is less than or equal to the prevailing inflation rate of 8.4 percent as set by the National Economic and Development Authority.

CHED also said that a school’s official newspaper or publication should be allowed to cover the consultation, which should be held within school premises.

Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar, meanwhile, praised CHED for exercising its power to regulate tuition and all other fees of higher education institutions.

She said CHED officials should strictly monitor colleges and universities that have consistently failed to produce deserving graduates.

"We have rules about that, especially schools that have graduates who fail to pass exams. CHED has the power to shut down these schools," she said in a DZMM interview.

Editor's Note: Published on page A1 of the May 19, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

FOUR "jueteng" operators will give what Senator Panfilo Lacson has described as "very explosive testimony" at the Senate investigation on the operations of the illegal numbers game.

"It will open a can of worms," Lacson said of the "witnesses" whom he declined to name pending their appearance at the Senate inquiry. He said the witnesses would testify on people in "high places" who were on the take.

But the Inquirer was able to speak with three persons -- two supposed "bagmen" and a jueteng operator -- who claimed to have given or collected protection money for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's husband, lawyer Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo, and their elder son, Pampanga Representative Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo. The interviews took place in a hotel in Manila.

The three have submitted affidavits to bolster their accusations and are preparing to testify at the joint inquiry of the Senate committees on games and on public order. There is a fourth witness, a woman.

A 46-year-old man from Legazpi City in Albay province said he served as bagman for former presidential assistant on Bicol affairs Mario K. Espinosa, whom Mike Arroyo had allegedly given the "blessing" to collect money from jueteng lords in Bicol.

The bagman (or B1) told the Inquirer that he started collecting for Espinosa in April last year, or a month before the May 2004 presidential election.

B1 also said Espinosa, who was his next-door neighbor, assigned him to collect the money.

Monthly allowance

A former bagman in Central Luzon (or B2) also told the Inquirer that before he became congressman, Mikey Arroyo received P500,000 from jueteng lords in the region and was now receiving "a monthly allowance."

B2, who said he used to collect from jueteng operators in Central Luzon for distribution to national and regional officials, claimed that Mikey Arroyo asked for P500,000 from regional jueteng operators in 2002 through a certain Tonton, allegedly a son of Bataan Governor Pablo Roman.

"The governor even issued a check in the amount of P500,000 to supposedly cover Mikey's advance take," B2 said and showed a Bank of Philippine Islands check dated Jan. 24, 2003.

Asked if he had tried cashing the check, B2 said no. "I was told by Toto Ronnie, then the operator in Bataan, that no funds were available for the check."

The Inquirer also spoke with a jueteng operator (or O1), who said he started paying officials in Metro Manila when Ms Arroyo came to power in 2001.

"[Jueteng operators] never gave money to Metro Manila [officials] during the time of [Corazon] Aquino and [Fidel] Ramos. During [Joseph] Estrada's time, I never operated jueteng because the operations were centralized under [Estrada crony] Atong Ang," said O1, who claimed to have stopped his operations in his province late in 2003 because he planned to run in the 2004 polls.

He was allegedly displaced as jueteng operator by Rodolfo "Bong" Pineda.

"It was only during the Arroyo administration that I started giving money for Metro Manila [officials]," he added.

He said that he collected an average of P35,000 a week -- or P135,000 to P140,000 a month -- from the jueteng lords in the three provinces; and that his weekly collections amounted to P7,500 in Camarines Norte, P12,500 in Camarines Sur, and P15,000 in Sorsogon.B1 said he collected the money every 8th, 16th, 22nd and 30th of the month and delivered the money every following day to Espinosa's apartment.

He said he delivered more than P500,000 to Espinosa before he quit.

"I bring the protection money for Usec (Undersecretary) Espinosa right in the house he is living in with his common-law-wife Lily," B1 said.

According to B1, Espinosa -- or his wife when he was not at home -- would count the money in his presence and give him P3,000 or more for the delivery.

B1 admitted he had no proof that the protection money he gave Espinosa went to the President's husband.

"It is public knowledge that he is the front man of Mike Arroyo in Bicol. And that is what Usec Espinosa said -- [that the money was for the First Gentleman]," B1 said.

Meeting in 2004

B1 said his role started sometime in April 2004 when Espinosa gave him P1,000 for him to invite Katigbak to a meeting.

He said he thought Espinosa had wanted to meet Katigbak to put a stop to jueteng operations.

The meeting was held in B1's house and witnessed by his wife.

At the meeting, Espinosa asked Katigbak to give him the "breakdown or plantilla" of the Bicol jueteng operations, B1 said.

He claimed that Espinosa even said they should raise the protection money if Ms Arroyo won in the election.

B1 said they also met with jueteng administrators in the two other provinces and arranged for the monthly protection money.

The bagman said he would testify at the Senate inquiry because he finally wanted a stop to the illegal numbers game and the corruption it was breeding.

"I am willing to testify because I believe that our First Gentleman Mike Arroyo has a participation in this illegal game of jueteng," he said.

Ledger

B2 also showed a ledger listing jueteng operators' supposed monthly contributions for the allowances of top police officials, allegedly including Philippine National Police Director General Arturo Lomibao.

"This is to give you an idea of how much jueteng money is going around," he said.

The ledger showed that as of March 2005, jueteng operators in at least 24 provinces were giving P19.6 million a month to Camp Crame officials through Gener David alias Boy Tangkad and Senior Superintendent Pat Hernandez, said to be assigned at the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

It also showed Ilocos Sur Governor Luis Singson as the jueteng operator in the provinces of Abra, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union, paying P1.93 million monthly.

It named the other local officials operating jueteng as Governors Armando Sanchez of Batangas, Jose Yap of Tarlac, Jesus Typoco Jr. of Camarines Norte, Luis Raymund Villafuerte of Camarines Sur, and Vice Gov. Mariano Cristino Joson of Nueva Ecija.

"The jueteng operators are there because either they are already well-entrenched as natives in their areas or they are close to the powers that be," B2 said.

Also named in the ledger was Bong Pineda of Pampanga, who is supposedly operating jueteng in Metro Manila as well as in the provinces of Pangasinan, Isabela, Pampanga, Batangas, Rizal, Mindoro and Albay.

Common knowledge

O1 said it was common knowledge among jueteng operators in the regions and provinces that the choice of police regional directors was made by Mike Arroyo, and that the regional officials wanted to please him.

"But I don't have any direct evidence concerning [the First Gentleman and jueteng operations]," O1 said.

He said that from the P9 million he "earned" monthly from jueteng in his province in 2001-2003, at least P1.4 million went to payoffs for national officials (both civilian and police), regional police officers and local officials.

The officials included "all of those in Camp Crame at that time," O1 said, adding:

"We didn't really deal with them directly, but if the protection money didn't really reach them, how come we were able to continue our operations quite easily?"

O1 said among the regional directors to whom he gave money was a ranking police official who was among those expected to take over as PNP chief before Edgar Aglipay retired.

"And if the money didn't reach the local officials in our areas, how come jueteng operations have yet to stop?" he said.